Disclaimer: I own nothing, just the little plot bunny (kinder!)
A/N: So I had a busy Friday, and didn't around to updating, not even when I fell into bed... so you're getting it earlier than usual for me, and you might get one later when I'm home from work ;) Maybe... lol Sorry for the Reid falling in a hole wait! Enjoy!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- When The Sky Falls -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Derek fell to the floor immediately, refusing to believe that Reid was lost in the massive hole that had torn his house apart. His heart skipped a beat as he saw Reid holding on with his all of his might. A sheer miracle in itself was bestowed upon them all right at that moment.
"Grab my hand, Genius, I'll pull you up." Derek advised him as he reached down, his body flat to the floor.
"I-I can't," Reid struggled, refusing to let go of what he had a hold of.
"You can," Derek argued back, refusing to give in when neither of them had really tried. "Just take my hand, Reid and I'll pull you up. You know I'm strong enough."
Reid shook his head, "It won't work, gravitational pull combined with my body weight means that-"
"Screw the facts, Kid, and take my hand. I can pull you up, fuck gravitational pull, trust me. Don't trust facts because at the moment they're letting you down. So trust me." Derek said and reached down further.
Reid looked up from his tight grasp to Derek's awaiting open palm. He had to take this leap of faith, believe in Derek's strength for a moment and then, just within that thought, he let go and reached for Derek's hand.
Slipping down a bit, Derek gripped Reid's sweaty hand and then manoeuvred so his other hand strengthened the hold and he began to pull up. Gritting his teeth, Derek tried his hardest to get Reid up swiftly and quickly.
Penelope, having watched from the sidelines, hobbled over the best she could and fell to the floor, she copied Derek and put her hands on Derek's and even weakly and painfully she tried with all her strength to help.
"Pen," Derek gritted, "Don't, I've got this."
"So have I," Penelope argued back and felt accomplished as Reid managed to get his foot in a crevasse as Derek and Penelope's rescue pulled him up enough. Penelope couldn't sit and watch hopelessly from the side, she couldn't watch Derek struggle when she knew she could help, pained or not.
Slowly Reid managed to grab hold of the ledge and Penelope backed up as Derek took over and pulled him up entirely. All three of them looked at one another and released a breath of relief.
Lunging forward the best she could, Penelope wrapped her arms around Reid's neck and just hugged him tightly; thanking whoever she could in that moment that Reid wasn't dead. She could feel the tears bubbling, and as quickly as she recognised them, they fell and she pulled back.
"Never do anything like that again okay?" She teased him, trying to make light of this situation.
"I'll try not to," Reid promised as he looked up at Derek. "Thanks."
"You'd have done the same had it been me," Derek dismissed his altruistic behaviour and went over to Penelope. "Don't you ever do that again either," Derek berated Penelope, "You're already hurt and then you go and do that."
"I was helping," Penelope calmly pointed out, "I'm not incapable, Derek. I offer some assistance and it worked. Spence's standing around, not hanging around." She argued back at him, refusing to see her helping as a bad thing.
"I understand that, but you're hurt. I don't want you hurt more," Derek fretted, not knowing if saying about the baby or not was a good thing right at that moment. "So please do as I say okay?"
Penelope pondered Derek's ultimatum. He knew how she hated them and he only dished them out when truly necessary. "Okay," She relented and agreed to settle a part of Derek's nerves.
"You do learn fast when you wanna, Baby Girl," He told her as he guided her back to a seat as far from the massive hole as possible.
Ignorant of the world outside that could now see into Reid's house.
"Ring Mom. If you can that is," Penelope told Derek suddenly as he got her sitting down again. "Please."
Nodding, Derek brought his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. The moment he still saw the bars of signal sitting in the corner he clicked on his mom's number and listened to it ring.
"Derek, oh God baby, you're okay!" Derek's mom's relief filled voice came down the line amongst the sound of chaos. The line was fuzzy and kept cutting in and out momentarily, but he was happy to know that he could hear his mom's voice. "What about Penelope? Please tell me she's with you."
"She's with me," Derek confirmed and heard another sigh of relief. "What about you and Des and Sarah? What's happening in Chicago?"
"We're being flown to a safe ground just south of here, Derek. Please try and get here," Fran near enough begged down the line, "They don't know how many have survived, but you have so find your nearest pick up and get to me, Baby."
Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. Knowing that a part of his family were safe calmed him, but the battle ahead worried him nonetheless. He had to find where their closest pick up point was before he could make promises to his mom.
"Mom, keep your phone on you. I don't know where to go right now. Pen's hurt and she needs to rest. When I know the plan, you'll know," He paused and took in a calming breath. "I will see you again though." Derek couldn't help but make the promise; he had to believe that he would see his mom and sisters again.
"How badly hurt?" Fran broke in, her motherly worry sky rocketing. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I just did," Derek pointed out simply, "She's busted her ankle and she's got some pain in her stomach." Derek hid his worry at that, he knew the correlation between pregnancy and abdominal pain wasn't a good combination, but he had to believe that nothing serious was wrong. "She says she fine."
"This is Penelope we're talking about here, of course she did," Fran commented knowingly. "Just please, if anything happens, don't leave her."
"That I can promise you I won't be doing," Derek vowed, "She is not leaving my sight." He said as he looked over at Penelope sitting quietly staring at the road that lie in front of them now that Reid's house was missing on complete side.
"Derek, I have to go, the helicopters are here," Fran said, her urgency growing, "Please stay safe. I need you and your sisters to survive this."
"Call me when you're there, mom," He said to her, hoping that cell reception was still this good when that point came, "I love you, Mom." Derek shut the phone and put it to his lips, closing his eyes. He couldn't stop the worry manifesting in the pit of his stomach. The lack of control that he held was killing him.
"Handsome," Penelope called out, trying to stand up the best she could.
Rushing to her side, Derek sat her back down, "What's up, Baby Girl?"
"They're okay right?" She asked meekly, "Nothing bad has happened?"
Shaking his head, he slid a hand up the side of her face to calm her, "They're going to safer ground." He saw the hope ignite in her eyes, "We're going to meet our baby." He vowed to her and smiled brighter.
"Baby?" Reid asked from behind Derek, "You're pregnant?" He continued to question them both, "The pain in your stomach, Penelope..."
Penelope's eyes shot to the ground, she was scared of the prognosis, "It's nothing."
"We'll keep an eye on it," Reid told her and she looked up at him, "We're in this together. If there's somewhere that isn't affected by the probable apocalypse then we will make it there."
Derek, noticing Penelope's hesitation at approaching the problematic stomach pains, stood and turned to Reid. "We better get going now. It's quite a walk from here to wherever we've gotta go."
Reid nodded and grabbed one of the bags that he and Derek and put to together.
Derek's phone started to ring out and as he saw JJ's number he felt his hope simmer again. Answering he heard heavy breathing the moment it was close to his ear, "JJ?"
"Derek! Thank God, no one else was picking up, Derek!" JJ almost screamed down the phone in a frenzy, "I-I need help! I'm not strong enough and the stairs collapsed, and-an-"
"JJ, are you okay?" Derek cut in, wanting to know if JJ was hurt at that moment.
"It's not me, it's Will and Henry!"
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- When The Sky Falls -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-